June 4, 2008

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras/GENEVA – Representatives of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) member churches in Latin America say an evaluation of their regional cooperation indicates they have developed closer relations and mutual trust at local and regional levels, thereby strengthening their interaction as a Lutheran communion.

"Our relations have grown closer together, along with our mutual trust and a growing readiness to think and act as a Lutheran communion not only locally, but also regionally," stated a working group that dealt with the evaluation report during the 2008 LWF Latin American Church Leadership Conference (Conferencia de Liderazgo-COL) held from 31 March to 4 April in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Concluded in February 2008, the evaluation was launched at the April 2007 COL meeting in Santiago de Chile. It focused on the relations and cooperation among the 14 LWF member churches in Latin America from 2003 to 2007, and is also aimed at supporting the region's role in the LWF renewal process. "The concept of communion requires clear forms of expression that must be identified in a joint dialogue," said Rev. Martin Junge, area secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean in the LWF Department for Mission and Development (DMD).

LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Ishmael Noko said he was greatly encouraged by the churches' evaluation process. "In my entire service in the LWF, this is the first time that I see churches in one region engage in such an extensive exercise. To my knowledge you are the first in the communion. This exercise is in itself a demonstration that the gift of communion among the Lutheran churches within the Latin American region is deepening." The general secretary said he was particularly impressed by how pastoral resources were being shared between the churches, and by their cooperation in theological training.

For Junge, the evaluation report had also demonstrated that COL's responsibilities and expectations as an expression of communion in the region have to be put in more precise terms. "The pressing question also arises as to how the regional process involving the LWF member churches can be anchored more deeply in the local churches. This involves both communication strategies and the design of participatory processes in the region," he added.

The church leadership conference decided to establish a working group to draft a document stating the common understanding of the LWF member churches in Latin America with regard to their identity, and a description of COL's mandate. The document should also outline the strategic tasks necessary to strengthen the regional process.

Costa Rican Bishop Melvin Jiménez Marin, who was elected as the new COL moderator during the Tegucigalpa meeting, explained that the draft document would not be about institutionalizing the regional process, which includes the conference itself. "It is instead about maintaining our current consensus, upon which we wish to continue to build," he added.

LWF Renewal

The conference also focused on the LWF renewal process, which the general secretary highlighted in his presentation titled "The LWF Today and Its Perspectives for the Future." Noko stressed that for the LWF member churches, "being in communion radicalizes our common life to the extent that we have to rethink, reshape and put in place appropriate relational structures that serve the communion in such a way that living together will not be business as usual. [...] Communion is more than a concept. It must be expressed in concrete spiritual and economic ways. [...] Being in communion through Christ implies, among others, that like him, our fellowship is radically inclusive."

With a view to the renewal process Jiménez stated his positive view of the LWF regionalization process, which was being discussed by the COL churches. This would particularly be the case "if it were to be understood as the expression of a strategy involving broader and more intensive participation."

At the COL conference, the LWF church leaders also discussed the current developments within the Latin American Council of Churches (Consejo Latinoamericano de Iglesias – CLAI), including the February 2008 resignation of the general secretary and regional secretaries of the ecumenical body. In a letter to the CLAI board, the church leaders said they saw the current situation as a challenge to "further support and intensify" their support for CLAI's work. They would "uphold the commitment, with the power that the Holy Spirit grants us, to continue to work toward strengthening CLAI as an institution."

This year's COL meeting also debated further the document adopted at the March 2007 LWF council meeting in Lund, Sweden, titled "Proposed Guidelines and Processes for Respectful Dialogue on Marriage, Family and Human Sexuality." The church leaders agreed to commission a guide to facilitate the document's discussion at congregational level.

"It became clear at the conference that the region's churches had different approaches and interpretations and that the topics discussed in the document would surely also be viewed differently," noted Junge. "The churches seem to view as an opportunity the five-year framework set in Lund for the churches to continue their exchange on this topic with interregional and international consultations, and to view the document as a help toward conducting this discussion in an informed and factual manner," he added. The document is available in the four LWF official languages – English, German, French and Spanish – and published in booklet formats in Spanish and Portuguese.

The LWF Latin America and Caribbean region stretches from Mexico in the north to Chile and Argentina in the south, comprising 16 member churches – 14 in Latin America, and two in the Caribbean. In addition, there are nine LWF recognized congregations in Latin America, all together representing around 822,000 Lutherans. While some of the region's churches were founded in the 18th century by immigrants, mainly from Europe, others were started by North American and European missionaries, still others have local roots.

Lutheran World Information